"It lacks courage" - Sebastian Vettel issues scathing remarks about F1

Four-time F1 world champion and Aston Martin F1 driver Sebastian Vettel showed his displeasure at the lack of courage the sport is showing. He has been very open about his criticisms of F1 and did not hold back while talking about the image to the rest of the world:

“To the outside world, F1 always wants to come across as nice and open in its communications. But frankly, internally it lacks courage. More is already happening than ten years ago, but so much more could be done.”

The German driver has become increasingly outspoken when it comes to social and environmental issues. Ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the driver donned a pair of trainers with a rainbow design to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2021, F1 declared on several occasions their attempts to transition to a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly version of themselves. When asked about one such move — the change of fuel — Vettel said:

“There will initially only be a 10% share of biofuels or ethanol, which is neither sufficient nor in keeping with the times. I stand by my criticism. We have all the possibilities, we have the money, the resources, we could do very sensible things with it.”

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Sebastian Vettel needs to be back at Red Bull, says Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone and Sebastian Vettel at the 2018 British Grand Prix

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone thinks Sebastian Vettel needs to move back to his former team, Red Bull Racing, to partner Max Verstappen. The Briton wants the German to show how quick he can still be. Ecclestone said:

“We don’t know how quick he is anymore because he’s not in a competitive car – so it’s not easy to say he’s not as quick as he used to be. He needs to be back in Red Bull, actually.”

When asked about the decision to move from Ferrari to a midfield team in Aston Martin, the German said he had stints of retirement thoughts. He added that the 'fire is still burning':

“If I don’t feel the inner drive and ambition anymore and just stick with it to deliver messages or increase the bank balance, that would be a betrayal of the generation that is yet to come and live that dream… but the fire is still burning.”

Sebastian Vettel finished P12 in the drivers' championship standings with his teammate Lance Stroll in P13. Aston Martin came up short of the midfield battle, dropping to P7 with 77 points.